Page:A happy half-century and other essays.djvu/246

, except the shafts of the pillars and some of the decorations, which are made of royal drawing-paper"; and its manufacturers are implored not to spare time, trouble, or material, if they would attain to anything so classic. "The art of working in pasteboard," says the preface of this engaging little book, "may be carried to a high degree of usefulness and perfection, and may eventually be productive of substantial benefits to young persons of both sexes, who wisely devote their leisure hours to pleasing, quiet, and useful recreations, preferably to frivolous, noisy, and expensive amusements."

A pleasing, quiet, and useful recreation which wasted nothing but eyesight,—and that nobody valued,—was pricking pictures with pins. The broad lines and heavy shadows were pricked with stout pins, the fine lines and high lights with little ones, while a toothed wheel, sharply pointed, was used for large spaces and simple decorative designs. This was an ambitious field of art, much of the work being of a microscopic delicacy. The folds of a lady's dress could be pricked in such film-like